Quest: The essence of humanity by Charles Pasternak, Wiley, 拢16.99/$30, ISBN 0470851449 Reviewed by Brian Fagan
THERE are no specifically 鈥渉uman鈥� genes, biochemist Charles Pasternak argues in this fluent, fast-moving essay on the nature of humanity. Rather, he looks for the essence of humanity in a process that he sees as integral to all forms of life 鈥� searching, or the Quest of his title.
Even plants have quests 鈥� for the sunlight that fuels their growth. Humans, of course, have enhanced searching ability, resulting from an upright gait, manual dexterity, speech and larger brain size. Pasternak argues that though the idea of free will makes plants鈥� and people鈥檚 quests seem different, they are both ways of exploring the space of possibilities in the environment. 鈥淧hysiologists and biochemists have taught us that there is little difference between an involuntary act like the beating of one鈥檚 heart,鈥� he writes, 鈥渁nd a voluntary one鈥�.
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The rate of change in humans鈥� lifestyle is greater than that of any other animal. But our behaviour, though unique, is merely that of a rather sophisticated animal.
Pasternak proposes a genetic basis for searching, and then surveys what he calls 鈥渢he quest of modern man鈥� over the past 100,000 years. Starting with the evolution of Homo sapiens in tropical Africa he runs through the emergence of civilisation and such aspects of the 鈥渜uest鈥� as communication, scholarship, war, religious beliefs, and science.
And, inevitably, 鈥淚s unrestricted quest by scientists acceptable?鈥� He surveys the controversies over genetic manipulation, again both plant and human. Then he peers into the further future. He believes that the 鈥渄umbing down鈥� of Western societies will lead to the ascendancy of eastern Asian cultures.
Quest is controversial, at times superficial 鈥� especially historically 鈥� but often compelling. This is a book to be argued over, which all ambitious works like this one should be.